ASSISTANT HEAD/UPPER SCHOOL DIRECTOR AP/IB News from ...

9th & 11th GRADE COUNSELORCraig VEZINA, cvezina@asparis.fr; 01 4112 8286With final exams beginning and the school year drawing to a close, I wanted to say how much I appreciated working with the9th and 11th graders and their families this year. A big thank you to everyone in the community who has contributed timeand energy this year to make the school a better place for our students to learn and to grow. I wish you all the best for thesummer vacation. August will be here soon enough, but summer is a chance to re-fresh and to relax; it is also a great opportunityto pursue old interests, explore new ones, discover great books and go out and get some exercise!For those families leaving ASP, I hope that you will look back on your time here with fondness and that you will always rememberthat you have friends in Paris...A year of GAPS…As many of you know, this year saw a new approach to the old 9 th grade advisory system – GAPS – that was co-led by thefaculty mentor, guidance counselor and peer mentors in a spirit of shared ownership and collaboration. While improving theprogram will remain an important goal, I have to say that this year‟s pilot program was a great success mostly because ofthe commitment, service and leadership of our student mentors. So, I want to send a huge “shout out”/ thank you to CarolineJahr, Martha Mai, Jose de Alencar, Allie Miller, Erlend Bjorkland, Hannah Wicklund, Sabrine Keane, Guillermo Sosa, LilyRivkin, Chase Guthrie, Caterina Dacey, Alex Viehbacher and Guillaume Judis. An extra level of appreciation is due to our peermentoring “coach,” Jessamy Holland, and to five seniors who were among the original pioneers of this program when it wasfirst conceived two years ago: Anna Bradley-Webb, Martina Belloni, Jules Healey, Nicole Pick and Liz Surprennant. You willbe greatly missed next year but know that the legacy of your experience, time and energy will be felt for years to come inGAPS…Applications for 2012-2013 Peer MentorsNow in its second year, the peer mentoring component has added tremendous value to the 9 th grade GAPS program. Someof the most socially intelligent, caring and admired upper classmen have taken on this very important role as teaching assistants,trusted advocates and role models. In short, the peer mentor- Participates in planning and implementation of GAPS activities- Helps provide feedback and encouragement to students, both formally and informally- Shares experiences with younger students and encourages them in their personalized goals- Proactively engages students in meaningful discussion both in and out of the classroomTo help support peer mentors in this role, we meet weekly with the peer mentoring coach outside of class to develop importantskills, (i.e., active listening, facilitating group discussions, etc..) plan successive lessons and share feedback on theprogram. In other words, peer mentors are major stakeholders in the curriculum as well.Interested in applying ? Please visit the GAPS Poodle page (http://poodle.asparis.fr/poodle/course/view.php?id=569) todownload the application or see Mr. Vezina in the guidance office.Matthew du AIME, mduaime@asparis.fr10 th & 12 th Grade COUNSELOR01 4112 8298Summer readingWhen students think of summer reading, they think of required summer reading for English class. But there is also summerreading which you choose to do for yourself. The iPad, Kindle and other digital devices have opened up new flexibility andease of access in choosing what you read over the summer.In an age of short attention span media, reading is still the best way to develop intellectual depth and commune with greatminds of the past and present. So…at the start of the summer, it is time to think about your mental diet. What type ofbrain/thought food do you fancy?In an international school such as ASP there is a lot of turn-over. Many of you will be leaving Paris and ASP in June. Myvery best wishes go out to you as you move on to new chapters in your lives. To those coming back to ASP, I look forward toseeing you at the end of August. Here is wishing everyone a safe and stimulating summer.ORIENTATION DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:The PFA Welcome Committee needs volunteers to help with the New Family Orientation Day on Monday, August 27th,2012.Please come and help welcome the new families to ASP. We needs lots of volunteers to help the day run as smoothlyas possible. If you are able to help, please contact Michele Biggins at biggimr@yahoo.com.